Honeybee
by StripedHatter
Summary: From the moment Iris Thorne steps onto the island, things begin to change. The year is 1946 and she's visiting her aunt just before an arranged marriage- but she ends up finding a loop, a family of peculiar children, a whole slew of unusual characters, and a brand new world opened before her eyes. *Rated T for language*
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The island drifted into view through a veil of fog. The boat rumbled to the dock and settled as a tiny town appeared, adorned with horses, pubs, and cottages too musty to be quaint. My eyes followed the foot trails that lead into the mountain's cliffs and forested regions, and my feet itched to be exploring. The sailor that had given me the ride over to Cairnholm turned at the wheel and smiled at me. "Welcome to Cairnholm, Miss Thorne."

"Thank you," I replied politely, stepping off the boat with my suitcase in hand. The salty ocean breeze rose chill-bumps on my arms, and I second-guessed my decision to wear a short-sleeved button-down and a skirt. It didn't seem very practical now, at this tiny island so close to the ocean. But it would have to do for now. I stepped past gatherings of workers, lugging carts back and forth or taking a minute to sit. At the end of the dock, a pub sat perpendicular to the ocean, allowing an easy view of its sign: The Meddled Minstrel. _This is the place, _I thought, and stepped inside.

A collection of people- mostly men and wenches- were within the pub, having a beer or a warm meal, taking a break from work for supper. I scanned them all- none seemed like the proper woman that sent me a letter. My Aunt Imogene had requested my presence for only a short week before my arranged marriage took place, whisking me away to Ireland. I barely knew my aunt- she had moved to this distant island fifteen years ago, when I was only a tiny baby.

"Lost?"

The voice was polite, and I looked over to see the bartender looking at me. I shook my head, pulling my letter out of my skirt pocket. "This is the place, I just don't see the woman I'm supposed to meet up with."

He frowned slightly and looked around the bar. "Who is she? I know everyone on the island."

He seemed proud of this and I took a seat at the barstool closest to me. "Imogene Hazel. Do you know her?"

"Yes," he said with a triumphant smile. "Tall woman, narrow frame, always wearing a white hat- a bit like a dandelion. Why, she was in town not ten minutes ago, walked by with a bag of vegetables. She should be in here any minute now. Would you like a drink to pass the time?"

I shook my head. "No, thank you- alcohol isn't exactly my favorite type of beverage."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself; if you need anything, I'll not be far off."

He returned to bar-tending and I heard a soft _mew _from my bag. I nudged it and whispered, "Keep it down, Hutch." A faint hiss sounded in response and I sighed. Just then, the door swung open to the _tink _of a bell and a gust of freezing ocean wind sweeping over the bar. I looked up to see her- tall, narrow, a gray dress and white hat, just like a dandelion, as the bartender had said. Her eyes scanned the bar and stopped on me. I smiled politely and she crossed the pub to me.

"Well, hello, Iris. Welcome to Cairnholm." She pulled me into a quick hug, and as she pulled away she took me by the forearm and led me out of the pub. "Come with me- we'll get you into something warmer. Why, you're shivering!" Once outside, Aunt Imogene immediately hopped onto a carriage that was waiting, taking me with her. I sat down, breathless, and dropped my bag into the floorboard. To the driver, Aunt Imogene said quickly, "To my house." She turned to me and I took in her features- small gray eyes, broad cheeks, thin lips, crows-feet bordering her eyes. "Now then, Iris, you're lovely. But why is your hair only to your shoulders?"

I curled a finger in my hair self-consciously. "I had some of it spilled in honey… Well, technically, it was poured in my hair, but either way that's in the past. I'm just waiting for it to grow back out again."

Sympathy fell into her gray eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that. But anyway, how's this fiancé of yours?"

I shrugged slightly, my eyes falling to study the clasp of my suitcase. "I'd imagine he's a bit of a drinker- most Irishmen are. He owns a large estate of land, occupied by tenant farmers, and he's got dark hair and a thick accent. In truth, I've only met him a few times- it's my mother's idea, it's all very traditional."

Aunt Imogene smiled. "Well, perhaps that's the way it should be- he's clearly rich, hardworking, cultured, and generous. Are you excited to be marrying such a man?"

Again, I shrugged, but this time I was looking at the unique little town around me- fishermen, sheepherders, miners, bartenders, even a historian it seemed, pouring over notes and glancing back at a book. When I replied, it was offhand. "I feel a bit too young for marriage."

"You don't look too young."

I only shrugged.

We reached her house a short while later. It was a tiny cottage like most places here, and she pointed down the hall to the door at the end- my room- and instructed that I put away my things while she started on dinner. I walked down the hall listening to her declarations of all the fun things I'd do here during my stay. I dropped off my bag in the room and looked at it- a tiny cot with a blanket and pillow, only just big enough for me with my height being what it was, a dresser, wooden planks for flooring, plaster walls, and a small window viewing the foot-trail I'd spotted earlier- the one that went into the woods. I unpacked, placing my clothing in the drawers.

The time had come to open my suitcase. Hutch crawled out slowly and looked around, his brown tabby fur almost blending into the wooden planks. His green-yellow eyes, reminding me every time of a dragon's, scanned the world around him. One ear twitched and he sat down, curling his tail around his front paws as he looked at me.

"It's not much, but it's nice enough."

I scowled. "You should be thankful for her hospitality at all- most of my relatives won't accept my having a cat."

Hutch lifted his shoulders a bit and lowered them again. "Only because they can't hear me talk. They just hear meows."

"It isn't my fault they aren't peculiar," I muttered, laying back on the cot. It was stiff as a board, and the blanket seemed too thin to hold in any heat. I suppressed a groan- it would be a long stay. Hutch hopped onto the bed and began kneading the blanket, and then plopped down. He looked at me and blinked, his whiskers twitching.

"This is disappointing," he meowed. "I _am _trying to be grateful, but how could anything sleep on this? Even a human would have trouble enjoying it."

I sat up. "It's just too bad."

I heard a knock on the door and Aunt Imogene entered. Seeing Hutch, she offered a smile. "So long as he doesn't do his business on my floor, I'll feed him and he can stay here."

Hutch scoffed. "As if I could bring myself to be so undignified!"

"What a cute meow he has! Aw," Aunt Imogene commented, one hand on her chest. Hutch flattened his ears on his indignantly and hopped off the cot, ducking under it before I could stop him.

"S-sorry, he's just… A bit shy. He's not used to new people, and he'll need a while to adjust," I said in an apologetic tone. Aunt Imogene waved it off.

"Don't worry about it; come eat. I'm sure when I feed him, he'll warm up to me a bit."

The next morning I awoke earlier than my aunt, accustomed to being up at this hour while Cairnholm had different times than my home. I stretched and sat up, my back sore from the cot. I stood in the warm sleep-robe Aunt Imogene had loaned me the night before and twirled a bit, unaccustomed to such long dresses. Hutch crawled out from under the bed and stretched his forepaws, his jaw opening wide. He smacked his lips a bit and blinked up at me, offering a sleepy good morning.

"Good morning, Hutch. Come on- let's go walking," I said and he, grumbling, complied as he began his morning bath. I opened the drawers of the dresser and found a long-sleeve button-down, blue in color, with a longer skirt. I put them on with stockings and my shoes, and combed my fingers through my short hair. I looked out my window- the trail would be the first place I visited.

In very little time at all, Hutch and I had left and were heading out in the chilly, muggy weather. A few workers waved and I waved back, continuing on my way until I was well into the woods. I passed a shack filled with the _baa_ of sheep, and passed by fields, trees, and cliffs, until I came to a crossing. A trail cut through the path.

One side of the trail led further into the forest on a downward slope toward the beach. The other side of it was more wooded. _Should I try one of them? _I wondered, and pondered the possibilities of either one. The one leading to the beach could lead to a treasure cove, or a mermaid- but thinking realistically, it likely just led to the beach and stopped. The other one carried more mystery, and more danger- a murderer out in the woods? A hermit's shack? A group of wild children, like in the story of Peter Pan? Perhaps a Wonderland sat down that trail. I looked at the trail I was following- it likely led to more farmland.

The decision was made.

I turned to my left and began to follow the trail deeper into the woods. Just as I started on it, however, rain began to fall, pitter-pattering on the forest leaves.

"Oh, rotten luck," Hutch commented and I sighed in agreement. But I wasn't turning back now. I continued down the path, my shoes worn from walking so much- as all of my shoes became- and my eyes still lit with adventure. Hutch had been enjoying himself, trotting back and forth on the path, ears perking at every sound of an animal. Now, though, he was only trying to avoid mud and puddles that were forming in the increasingly-fast-falling rain. We reached a swamp, littered with tussocks of grass poking out of the murky water.

"What do you think, Hutch? Should we brave it?"

The cat looked up at me with nervous yet unshaking eyes. "We've come this far- we might as well."

I stepped onto the first tussock of grass. There were enough to get through the swamp to the other side without getting your feet wet- I'd be alright. I stepped onto the next one and Hutch hopped onto the one I'd just been on, and just then two things happened simultaneously: a sudden crack of thunder turned into a rumble overhead, and my eyes fell on a distant box-shaped something across the swamp. It was maybe three hundred meters away, and as the rain began pelting down onto the swamp, dampening my hair and freezing me further, I decided to head toward it.

A gust of wind whipped through and I shouted to Hutch, "You see that?"

He followed my gaze and yowled over the wind, "Shall we head toward it?"

I nodded at him and he began bouncing from tussock to tussock as the thunder rumbled again and the sky darkened with the storm. I danced through the grassy patches, my feet occasionally slipping into the swamp and resulting in soaked feet and soaked hands as I scrambled for a tree limb to hold onto. The rain was falling faster than ever and I realized with a jolt of fear that the swamp was rising, covering the tussocks of grass, and Hutch was too far away for me to grab with ease.

"Hutch, move faster, the swamp is flooding!" I screamed over the wind. The storm had come on fast- and I was frightened. Would I ever be found if we died here? I shook the thoughts away and focused. _I won't die today, _I decided firmly, and began sprinting through the tussocks, ignoring the squelch of mud when I missed one. The wind pushed me and I nearly fell several times, but I finally reached the bank. The box-shaped thing, I now realized, was a tomb, leading down into the ground- a cairn. Hutch sat just inside it, shivering and soaked, his fur sticking out everywhere. His ears were flat and his eyes were wide. "Next time, we turn back when it starts to drizzle."

I stepped into the cairn with a small smile. "Ah, now where's your sense of adventure? Staying home is no fun."

He turned his wide eyes on me and shook his head. After a moment of silence, he said, "Iris, what is this that we're in? I can't recall learning the word for it."

I sat with my back against the edge of it. A tiny tunnel led down further- I'd have to crawl to get through it. I looked out at the flooding swamp and another gust of wind dashed through. "It's a cairn, Hutch. By definition, a cairn is a prehistoric burial mound made of stones. This goes deeper down, but I'm scared to go further, because if it floods, we'll be trapped."

Hutch's eyes darted from the stormy swamp to the lightless, dank tunnel. Howling wind hit him and his eyes focused in on the tunnel, his diamond-shaped pupils widening. "Anything's better than this wind."

With that he darted off and I lunged for him, but missed. "Hutch!"

"Not going back!" His voice echoed from further down the tunnel and with I clenched my jaw, following after him quickly. Perhaps if I was fast enough… But the cat had the advantage here. He could sprint, I could only crawl. With a sigh, I crawled after him, grimacing as I put my hands in the dirt. I crawled along, blindly heading into the darkness as the storm roared outside.

After what seemed like forever, I reached the bottom and Hutch was sniffing around. "Iris, I don't think this is just any random cairn."

"What do you mean?"

Hutch scuffed a bit in the darkness. "There's markings on the walls. After only a moment of sitting down here, it smelled different- there was more warmth. And listen- I can't hear the rain."

I paused and listened. "Hutch, we- we have to go back up."

Hutch mewed his agreement and we started back up the tunnel, this time with Hutch behind me. In short time, we reached the top- somehow it seemed to take less time going back up. At the top, it was definitely different: sunny warmth flooded into the cairn entrance.

"I was right- sometimes I really hate being right," the tabby at my feet meowed.


	2. Chapter 2

I glanced around the swamp. The tussocks of grass were still under the water, indicating there had been recent rains, despite the cloudless sky. What called my attention more, though, was the peregrine falcon sitting on a low branch of a tree poking out of the murky swamp. It was simply staring at me.

"Hello there," I greeted it.

"Iris, it doesn't seem too friendly," Hutch murmured. I shushed him as the falcon turned its sharp eye on me. In a sudden flurry of wings, the peregrine was in flight and heading off. I made eye contact with Hutch.

"Shall we follow it, then? Maybe it has some answers. I know my ability to talk to animals isn't just going to vanish because the weather changed while we were in that cairn."

Hutch contemplated this. "On the one hand, the peregrine seemed a bit clueless, daft as most birds are. On the other hand, it had a glow in its eye I don't usually see in birds- something human about it. But Iris, perhaps we shouldn't just follow the random bird because it was the first animal you saw here."

"Well, what else are we to do?"

"Try asking someone in the town?" Hutch suggested hopefully, but I shook my head.

"Much more fun to follow the bird- onward!"

I began to stride threw the swamp. Hutch growled slightly, the cat's form of a groan, and reluctantly followed. In a hint of spitefully amusing encouragement, I tossed over my shoulder, "Hey, you made me follow you down that tunnel, you can follow me this way."

The growl grew and I smirked. Before long, we were on the side of the swamp we'd started on, with the hint of a trail still marking the woods. I walked along for a while, and then suddenly tripped, my toe hitting something solid yet unseen as I tumbled downward.

"Hey! Watch your step!"

Startled by the voice, I got to my feet as quickly as I could, and Hutch hid behind me. Uncertain, I took a defensive pose and my eyes raked the area around me- I didn't _see _anyone. "W-Who said that?"

Silence, except for a few birds tweeting, and the occasional rustle of small wildlife.

Finally, I heard a sigh. "It was me."

The voice seemed to be coming from the base of a tree I'd just passed- around the area I'd tripped. But I didn't see anyone. I glanced in the branches, and the voice came again. "Down here- I'm invisible."

As strange as everything else had been, I had no trouble believing this, though I was still astonished. "Are you really?"

"I am. Hold out your hand," he instructed and I did as he said. I felt a hand press against mine, the fingers longer, but didn't see anyone. I reached out a hand, feeling the air for him.

"That's- that's incredible," I commented, and my hands skimmed skin.

"Watch it- hand's a little low!" He yelped, and I saw the leaves crunch as he stepped back.

"S-Sorry, I didn't think about it… I'm assuming you don't make your clothes invisible?"

"No."

"So that means… Oh." I paused awkwardly, realizing this boy was naked. I heard him chuckle a bit and suddenly held out my hand. "Well, I'm Iris."

"Millard," he replied, shaking my hand. I laughed a bit.

"That's quite a name; could you please tell me where I am? It was storming just a short while ago, and I went into the cairn, and now it's sunny and warm. I feel like I'm not on the same island."

Hutch pawed at my leg. I'd forgotten the cat was there, but I didn't have time for introductions as Millard's voice appeared again. "You've stumbled into our loop."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Sorry?"

"Hmm, this is quite interesting. You really don't know what a loop is?"

I shook my head. "I can't say I do."

"Continue down the path, I'll introduce you to Miss Peregrine and explain on the way there. She'll give you a bit more detail than I can," Millard said. I shrugged and did as he said, hearing footsteps next to me.

"But how do I know I can trust you?"

Millard sighed quietly. "Well, what choice have you got, Iris?"

Hutch then murmured from my feet, "Yeah, Iris- where's your sense of adventure?"

"Hush, Hutch," I whispered, but I'd already called his attention. Millard chuckled a bit.

"So that's your peculiar ability- you can talk to cats?"

I shook my head. "If that's what you call it, then my peculiar ability is that I can talk to all animals. Hang on, did you say Miss Peregrine?"

"I did."

I nodded in understanding. "It makes sense now. When I first came out of the cairn, there was a peregrine falcon- is she a shape-shifter?"

"She's an ymbryne, which is a form of shape-shifting, yes. Miss Peregrine can transform into a bird and manipulate time. That's the entrance to our loop back there- she made it. It goes from today, September 3, 1940, to whatever the present day is in your time. Every evening, it loops to restart the day."

I nodded again, but still had about a thousand more questions. "That's a fascinating concept. And to get here, anyone can just cross through the cairn?"

"Not exactly," Millard said, and I pictured him talking with his hands. "To pass through the cairn, one would have to be a peculiar. Peculiarity passes through families, often skipping generations, and can manifest at any age. Your peculiarity is that you can talk to animals, as you said- because of this, you have the peculiarity to pass through loops. Loops are where ymbrynes hold ageless collections of peculiar children in their care, children who likely wouldn't be accepted elsewhere."

I cocked my head to the side as I stepped over an outstretched oak root. "You say _children_, yet you talk like a teacher. And what do you mean, ageless?"

Millard chuckled. "Well, children extends to teenagers. I mean ageless as in we haven't gotten any older in however long it's been- what time is it in the present?"

"It's February 15, 1946," I replied. I calculated it quickly. "You haven't aged in five years, five months, and twelve days."

"5-5-12 and then you show up. I wonder if there's some symbolism there, or if it were mere coincidence," Millard commented. I smiled at him.

"There you go again- talking like a teacher. You're quite intelligent. I don't know much about invisible teenage boys, but you seem to be making the best of it."

He chuckled and we found ourselves on the main path. I scuffed the dirt a bit. "This path is rather old." As I looked down, I noticed something else and gasped. Hutch licked his shoulder and Millard's footsteps stopped.

"What is it?" He asked and I frowned.

"I have mud and water all over myself." I looked up at where I thought he was. "How bad do I look? This Miss Peregrine seems rather esteemed, I don't want to make a horrid first impression."

Millard laughed fully. "Oh, don't worry too much- she's forgiving. I tell you the woman takes care of children and you expect a little mud to get her knickers in a twist?"

I scoffed. "That's not what I meant- I just want to make an admirable first impression! You're the scrupulous teacher of us, you should understand!"

Millard only laughed again. "If you want to talk fashion, go meet Horace!"

I sighed and started down the path, Hutch trotting alongside me. A bee appeared with a buzz and my heart leapt in my throat as I swatted at it. It came a bit closer and I swatted again, stepping away quickly. "Millard, help! There's a bee!"

The invisible boy's footsteps approached. "Don't you worry yourself, it's just Hugh."

I gasped. "The bee is a boy?!"

Millard's laugh sounded again. "No, not at all! Hugh, come out from there."

A cluster of bushes sat on the side of the path and out stepped a boy in shorts and a button-down. He had short brown hair and bright eyes, and bees around him. I stepped back. He stepped forward, and then closer. I was frozen as he thrust out a hand. "I'm Hugh." Suddenly, he looked at himself, and offered a nervous smile. "Sorry about the bees, I'll take care of that." I gulped, looking down, and when I looked back up the bees were gone. I shook myself and he smiled again as I came back to me.

"Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Iris Thorne," I said, placing my hand in his. He shook it.

"Iris-thorn, hmm? Is that a plant? I've heard of iris and lord knows I know about thorns, but iris-thorn is new."

I laughed a bit as our hands parted. "It's separate- my last name is Thorne, and my first name is Iris."

Hugh nodded. "That makes a bit more sense. I see you've met Millard- tell me, how is it you came to our little island?"

Millard answered for me. "She's peculiar- found us by accident through the cairn. Poor girl didn't have a clue what a loop is."

"I assume you filled her in. Will she be meeting Miss Peregrine?" asked Hugh and Millard said I would, and then Hugh took notice of Hutch. He cocked his head to the side. "And who's this? A favorite pet of yours, Iris?"

"Hmm! I am not a pet!" Hutch meowed indignantly. "I am a _companion!"_

I smiled at him and patted his head, and then straightened myself again and turned to Hugh. "Not a pet, more of a… A familiar, if you will."

"Her peculiarity is talking to animals," said Millard. I nodded and Hugh raised his eyebrows.

"Impressive enough; not as great as controlling bees, but still impressive."

Another boy had just then appeared, strolling down the road. "What're you gonna do, Hugh? Pollinate the enemy's flowerbeds?" He spoke in a cockney accent.

Hugh narrowed his eyes, but just then another face appeared. A pretty girl hopped out of the woods, looking to be maybe just a bit younger than I am.

"The bird wants you all back at the house- says she needs to meet Iris formally now that she isn't in bird form."

Grumbling, the offensive boy started off, followed by Hugh as Millard's footsteps continued. The girl fell in beside me as I hesitantly walked behind them. "I'm Emma, by the way. I'm assuming you're Iris?"

I nodded. She stopped then and suddenly grabbed my jaw, turning me toward her. I froze and she looked deeply at my eyes. With a cautious breath, she started walking again, with me beside her. "I had to check if you're a wight. You can understand."

I just nodded, and we heard Millard snicker.

"What is it?" Emma snapped. "And where are your clothes?"

Millard exhaled loudly. "Well, I just didn't see a point in clothes today. And I was laughing at your paranoia- the girl's got pupils, she talks to animals, and you still assume she's a wight."

Emma shrugged. "Can't be too careful. She could've had contacts."

Millard hummed, and we continued on our way. Emma spoke again. "By the way, the boy up there ahead of Hugh is Enoch. He can take animal hearts and put them in things to animate them."

I gasped. "That's horrible! Those poor animals!"

Millard patted my arm, surprising me, and Emma gave me a look. "You don't think very highly of us, do you? Just because you can talk to animals, you aren't any better than a boy who controls bees or a girl who can create fire."

"I never said-"

"Oh, shut it."

And I did.


	3. Chapter 3

We reached a grassy field leading up to a gorgeous manor house. The house was beautiful- multistory mansion, almost, but more modest. A chimney protruded from the rooftops, and I could see at least two porches. The lawn was adorned with mythological creatures in the form of topiary, viewed by the many windows of the house. In one floor, I saw the silhouette of a tall womanly figure looking out, the shape not unlike Aunt Imogene. As we approached, Emma spoke again. "I'm sorry I was cross with you earlier- I'm not used to meeting new people. I noticed you're a bit muddy; would you like a clean dress? I might have one that would fit you." "Thank you, I'd appreciate that very much," I said, and the girl led me into the house and up the stairs to her room. Hutch trotted off. Inside, she went to the closet. "I'm going to trust you not to snoop- something I rarely do." I chuckled a bit. "You can trust me. I wouldn't wrong someone being so generous." She just nodded and handed me a dress, and then stepped out. It was a simple dress with puffy short sleeves and a sash across the middle, pale pink in color, with a white collar. I put it on and buttoned it, and looked in Emma's mirror. It didn't look too horrible on me- a tad shorter than I'd have liked, but I wasn't going to complain. I gathered my muddy clothes in a small wad and stepped out. Immediately, a little girl in button shoes and a tiara stepped up to me. "I'm Olive!" I smiled at her. "I'm Iris." She cheered a bit. "We're both named after plants! I think we'll be best friends!" My smile grew a bit, but before I could reply Millard's voice came from the end of the hall. "Olive, let's not bombard her- she still has to talk to the bird for more explanation. How about you do us a favor and take her dirty clothes to the washing basin?" Olive sighed but complied and I looked over to where I thought Millard would be to see a tall, thin figure in a suit, still without skin or visible body parts but now much more easily seen. He stepped down the hall to me, and I decided just to ask him what I'd been wondering. "Millard, what's a wight?" He chuckled a bit. "Miss Peregrine will explain that to you. Come with me, I'll introduce you to her." I nodded and followed as he led me into a room. It looked a bit like a classroom, with books and desks and chairs. Millard led me on a winding route through the desks to a door behind the desk at the front of the room, which he knocked on. A stern voice came through the door saying Come in. Millard turned the knob and opened it. Inside, I'm assuming, was Miss Peregrine. She was in a space between old and young. Her dark hair was faded a bit in color, but not quite graying, and was pulled into a tight bun that was hidden by a hat and veil. She wore a dark dress, fashionable for the time period and appropriate to her status as the apparent caretaker and teacher of these children. "You must be Iris." I nodded and she turned her gaze to Millard. "Thank you for putting some clothes on, Millard. Now if you'll please excuse us, I have a few things to say to our new acquaintance." Millard bowed slightly and stepped out and Miss Peregrine gestured to a chair. I sat, but she remained standing, her body and eyes angled toward the window. She began to speak. "I take it Millard filled you in a bit?" I nodded. "He told me about the loop, and what an ymbryne is, and a bit about this place." Miss Peregrine nodded slowly, and then continued to speak. Her voice was sharp but not quite stern. "I'm going to fill you in on a few things, but first you should know that if you endanger any of my wards, it won't be sweet Olive you answer to." I gulped and nodded again, my voice seeming to escape me in the face of this respectable woman's threat. She continued. "Now, you're obviously a peculiar, which puts you in danger as well. There are creatures called hollowgast- a hollow singularly- that hunt peculiars. They were created through an experiment to control time and grow powerful gone wrong, something I'll let Millard explain if you really want the backstory. Hollowgast hunt down peculiars, and if they accomplish killing enough, they turn into a wight. They take the shape of a human and hunt down other peculiars to feed to hollowgast- this is why Emma tested you. But you passed through the loop and showed your peculiar ability before my own eyes, so I allowed you to be lead here. "You've already met some of my wards, and you'll meet the rest at lunch, which is in about an hour. You can go now- Millard should be on the lawn, probably reading; I've noticed so far you've taken a bit of a liking to him." Now that the tension was eased, I smiled a bit. "He was the first one I met- by accident- and so far, he's very friendly. Thank you for being so hospitable, by the way." She only nodded and stepped over to her desk, beginning to write. I stepped passed her and headed out, looking down at my muddy shoes with a frown as I made my way down the stairs. As I headed out the front door, I couldn't help but wonder if Aunt Imogene would be worried to wake up and find me missing- or would time even be passing in our time? Perhaps Millard would know. 


End file.
